Page 11 of Grumpy Boss's Secret

“You could have texted me,” I said, enjoying that I was getting to him. “Or called me. Or even emailed me. Have you been waiting here a whole hour?”

Ian stared at me, his expression sour.

I threw my head back, laughing aloud. “Oh, my God! You have! You waited for me for a whole hour!” Never mind. Everything was great.

"Wow, somebody doesn't trust me," I said, wheeling my suitcase towards check-in. "Or did you want to go through security with me?"

Ian sucked on his teeth. We passed through security. He didn't say a word to me the entire time, even though he was directly behind me. He was pouting, I thought. I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

"See?" I asked as we walked up to the waiting area before our gate. "We have a full forty-five minutes to spare."

Ian ignored me. He started walking toward one of the chairs. I turned and began to walk away. “Where are you going?” he said.

“I’m going to go exploring,” I said. “I’m probably going to buy a smoothie or something.”

Ian scowled. I started to turn away again. “You’ll have to pee on the plane,” he said.

I whirled around. “My life,” I said, my consonants so crisp they could have drawn blood.

Ian scowled again.

“I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” I said.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Are you setting a timer?” I protested.

“Yes,” he said.

Now it was my turn to suck on my teeth. Okay. Fine. He wanted to set a timer; I couldn't stop him. I would get back there in precisely twenty minutes to the second.

I took a leisurely, breezy tour of the airport and got myself a mango pineapple smoothie. I was already ready for the beach. Then I returned to the gate, checking my watch and feeling smug. I strode up to Ian as soon as I got back.

“You’re late again.”

I looked down at Ian and considered dumping the rest of my smoothie all over him. "Show me the timer," I said.

He held it up. “By ten seconds,” I said.

“You’re still late,” he said, tucking his phone into his pocket.

Was it my imagination, or had a ghost of a smile played around his lips? Did he find this funny? Was he teasing me? Middle schooler.

Athens was incredible. Just gorgeous. We stayed at this glitzy hotel overlooking the water between the city and the Aegean Sea. On our first night after dinner, I wandered by myself, feeling the wind ruffle my hair and gazing out at the golden lights of the hotel and the buildings up against the water.

Somehow, despite how luxuriously modern this hotel was, the place still felt ancient. As if we were standing on something new built on top of something old. And the water was like a living, ancient beast moving right alongside the new buildings and the old land.

I stood there long, leaning against the balcony, smelling the air. I felt a stillness settle over me – a sense that my troubles and frustrations were minor compared to the vast wealth of history.

Finally, I started to feel sleepy. As I went inside, I saw a man standing on the balcony above the one I was on. I didn't get a good look at him – he was just a dark silhouette against the stars. As soon as he saw me turn, he vanished. I'd been able to see that he was tall and muscular.

“Hmm,” I thought, raising my eyebrows and smirking a little. “We’re not really in middle school, are we, Ian?”

I strolled back to my room, meandering slowly through the hotel interior. It had a gorgeous lobby: red glass accents, black leather furniture, and golden chandeliers of a starkly modern design.

I took the stairs up to my room. When I reached the hallway, I saw someone walking down it from the other end. It was Ian. I froze for a second, thinking about waiting until he entered his room. He must have seen me. Yes, he'd definitely seen me; his walk had stiffened.

"Whatever," I muttered, walking down the hallway towards him.

He didn't acknowledge me. He stared blankly at me as he continued walking toward his room. Then he reached the door, swiped his key, and stepped inside. His room was right next to mine.

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